Improvement in car-couplings



H. BLANCHARD, Jr.'

403,1 Coupling..

No. 109,797. Patented D80. 6,1870.

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tcita ndert HENRY BLANCHARD, J R., 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.-

Letters Patent No. 109,797, dated December 6, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINS.

The Bcliedule ref-erred to in these Letten Patent and making part of the same.

To all persons to whom these presents 'may come Be it known that I, HENRY BLANCHARD, Jr., of Boston, of the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have made a new and useful invention having reference to Railway-Carriage Couplings; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the. accompanying drawing, of whichl Figure 1 denotes a longitudinal section of two drawbars, with their couplings disconnected.

Figure 2-is a similarsection, showing the draw-bars as coupled together.

Figure 3 is a similar section, in which the couplinglink or coupler is thrown np in the draw-bars, for the purpose oi' being disconnected from one of them.

At the lower. part of each draw-bar A or B, and near the mouth thereof, is an abutment or catch, C, having a curved sloping top, a, and a vert-ical shoulder, b.

In rear of such catch is a furcated or th ree-armed lever, D, it being formed as represented, and pivoted to the draw-bar, as shown at c.

The rear arm or prong of the levcr rests on a helical spring, E, supported on a rod or pin, F, whichex. tends verticallythrough the draw-bar and arm.

From the upper front arm d ofthe lever a pin, e, is projected upward througha slot, f, in the top of the draw-bar.

.To the upper end of the pin e a chain or rope may be fixed for. raising the lever vup to the top of the draw-'bar chamber, in manner as shown in iig. 3.

With such draw-barsy and coupling-levers I use a coupleror duplex-hooked bar orshackle, G, it being provided, at its opposite ends, with pointed hooks g g, and at its middle with an angular projection, h, all formed and arranged as represented.

The purpose of the said projection h is to support the coupler horizontally on the top of the catch, so as to diminish the leverage of the coupler against the lever I), in comparison to what would be the case were the coupler not provided with Vsuch projection h.

rIhe coupler, on being forced into either draw-bar, will strike against the upper prongor armof the fork, and, by action thereon, will force up the lever until the hook of the coupler may pass the catch. As soon as this takes place, the coupler will drop upon and in rear of the catch, and-be coupled to the draw-bar;

and should, in such case, the coupler protrude from one draw-bar, it` will couple together the two drawbars, and beheld down upon ytheir catches by thek pressure of the springs E E of such bars. By raising either lever, its lowest or longest arn will raise the coupler or shackle-bar'oill the catch, so

`as to disconnect the twoand unshackle the two drawbars.

I am aware of the car-coupling described in the speeiiication of Charles HaskinsA application for a patent, liled December 20, 1865, and make n'o claim thereto. Although, in some respects, it is analogous to mine, yet in others it is materially different.

Instead of a slotted bar vor trigger to slide vertically, and to beheld down 'bya turn-button, for the purpose of raising the shackle-bar out of engagement with the catch, and instead of employing in the mouth of the draw-bar a spring to hold the shackle-bar in engagement with the catch, I employ the forked leverD and the spring E, constructed and arranged ill-manner as represented, whereby I am enabled to dispense with the turn-button, and cause the lever and spring autoranged in the platform to which the draw-bar' is ap-A plied.

I claiml The forked lever D, the spring E, and the catch C, arranged, constructed, and combined with the drawhar A or B, and for use with the double-hooked shackle-bar G, in manner substantially as explained.

' H. BLANCHARD, JR.

IVitnesses.:

It. H. "EDDY, S. N. Pirna. 

